Final Wind
by SmashHero59win
Summary: Yasuo, Riven, Master Yi. Three warriors roam Ionia searching for redemption after the Noxian invasion. War broke them into pieces. War will now force them to pull themselves together. Rated T because I do not trust myself
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** Hello everyone, this is my first fic and I don't really know what I'm doing My only beta is my girlfriend, and she's been such a great help. Infinitely thankful. Canonically, there will not be too many changes to the universe, other than a different and more Grimdark interpretation of the events. This has gotten rather long so I'm going to start the story here.

(Yasuo)

The scent of the bar was intoxicating, blended with the deep burn of alcohol and the pains of a hangover. How long last night's drinking session had gone, Yasuo didn't know. What he did know, however, was that he would have to move quickly. Rising from the table, he looked at the table before him and winced at the large amount of empty liquor bottles that was set before him. That, was going to be expensive.

Lumbering slowly to the bar, Yasuo spoke slowly and softly "How much for the night"

Hearing this, the barkeep looked up slowly and "For a wanderer with no purse? I doubt you could afford it." he drawled.

Wincing at the loud baritone voice, Yasuo said nothing, and simply reached behind him for his moneybag. When his hand grasped nothing, however, then the panic set in. Checking around his body, he slowly realized that he had been stolen from. The realization of being moneyless was not a pleasant one when compounded with the throes of a hard hangover. Groaning softly, Yasuo looked at the barkeep with pleading eyes and asked "Is there any way that I could make this up? I was kind of forced out of my old place, and there isn't much I can do now."

Hearing this, the barkeep grew sympathetic, and set his hands on the table. "Mister, you drank a large amount last night. I normally wouldn't do this, but I'll let you go just this once. I should've stopped that sneaky bastard when he started putting his hands all over you, but I figured that he was a friend or something."

Yasuo smiled. "Friend? I haven't had one of those, in a long time. Just the wind, and my blade."

With that, Yasuo left the bar, intent on leaving the town as fast as possible. Losing all his money would make things hard for him in the next town, but he could scrounge something up. He always could. Holding his blade close to him, Yasuo left the town, furtively checking if anyone was following him. Sure that nobody was near him, he started dashing along the road. The Wind technique not only had combat applications, but could be applied to other aspects of life, such as transportation. He quickly learned that when he had to make a swift getaway when a town grew unfriendly.

Yasuo tried to piece together the previous night, but to him it was a hazy muddled mess, with any thoughts being interrupted by a twang of pain from the hangover. The only clear part of the night, was a reoccurring nightmare that had been haunting him for many days.

 _The dream started with Yasuo leaving to fight the Noxian offensive. By his side, the clan Elder begged him to stay, and to protect him._

 _"Oh strong warrior, please, do not abandon me. Please sir, please. Yasuo, I beg you, do not leave me"_

 _Growing tired of the pleadings, Yasuo shook the Elder off and turned to face him. "You old fool. Can you not Ionian blood on the battlefield? All our warriors are dying! It would be much better for Ionia if I were to go out there and slaughter the Noxians. Go back to your quarters, nobody will care."_

 _The Elder still begged, and hung onto Yasuo as if his body would keep Yasuo rooted. Constant pleas and reminders of his duty irked at him, and finally Yasuo grew tired._

 _"Enough with this! I am going to save this country! Begone!"_

 _At this point, Yasuo then lost control of his body. He could only watch in horror was he slowly unsheathed Last Breath, and held it out in front of the Elder. Paying no heed to the sword in front of him, the Elder grasped for his arm once again. Angry at this, his mouth opened to shout "Enough!" and thrust his sword forward. Silence engulfed the room as the Elder gasped for air. Yasuo watched mystified as his realized his sword pierced through the elder, leaving the blade coated in blood. Growing weak, the Elder fell to his knees, and grasped for the blade within him. Horrified, Yasuo stared as the Elder suddenly morphed into a familiar face. His brother, his friend, Yone._

 _Yone gazed sharply at him, eyes brimming with hatred and betrayal. "How_ _ **could**_ _you betray us Yasuo? We took you in! We raised you! We taught you the wind technique! And after all that, you repay us with this?"_

 _Blood flowed freely from Yone's mortal wound, and Yasuo's hands grew weak and dropped his sword. He fell to his knees in front of his brothers, and clutched him. His tears flowed freely, and could only whimper as his brother died in his arms. His blood chilled, when Yone spoke one final sentence "We will never forgive you."_

Every day Yasuo tried to forget the dream, and every day he failed. Who was he?

A hunted wanderer? A failed warrior?

These questions plagued Yasuo as he dashed towards the next town. Stopping before the gates, Yasuo slowed to a walk as he looked for a bar. The town, like many towns in Ionia, featured colorful festivities of art and beauty no matter the season. People would flit here and there, stopping often looking after children or other mundane reasons. He caught his gaze lingering on this scene, and shook his head. He had left that life many years ago, when he went to learn the sword. Finding a bar, he slowly pushed the door open, eyes keen in case any soldiers or mercenaries were inside. He stepped in, and found a seat. Ordering a drink, he let his eyes roam the bar. His awareness would be in remiss if he missed a group of soldiers or a mercenary. Darting around the bar, his eyes lurched to a hold at a white haired woman, who had a massive sword set beside her.

(Riven)

The gentle plains of Ionia were a far cry from the bloodstained training grounds that Riven grew up on. She had joined the military, and worked her way up from the lowest grunt into a feared commander. Thankfully, her gender meant nothing Noxus, and she was given equal opportunity to succeed. What this meant, however, that she had to compete with legions of highly trained men and women who were all vying for the same position. Becoming a commander of the Crimson Elite took conditioning that most would not survive. Day and night was training of some sort, whether it be training with her blade or disciplining her mind. The training gave her a powerful physique and a high position in the Noxian military, but it all amounted to nothing after Ionia. The Crimson Elite was part of the relief force that would be sent to the main militia, and was only a few days travel behind it. They were passing a conquered strategic point when everything went turned against them. Night after night the dying screams of her soldiers haunted her, and whenever she woke up she had the scar across her face to remember. She was lucky to escape most of Singed's concoctions, a feat that almost none of her soldiers achieved, and had escaped only with a large cut across her face. She could only walk, clambering over the bodies of her dead men. Her legs finally failed her in a field, blood still seeping from her face.

When she came to, she awoke in an unfamiliar bed. Her face burned from the wound, and much of her body was covered in bandages. When she attempted to rise, her body flared with pain. She forced her body up regardless, and was told that a farmer who managed to escape the Noxian offensive found her and carried her back to his town. Most of that day was spent trying to achieve bassic mobility. Much of her efforts were futile, and so a day became a week, and a week became a month. Her stay extended from a few days to almost a year now, and she had barely acquainted herself with even half the villagers. Sometime in the middle of the long haze, she made the trip to the Institute of War, and asked for a place as a champion. Her judgment took less than an hour, and the polite refusal came in an even shorter time. Going in, Alistar the Gatekeeper had refused to even look at her. Leaving, she could feel his eyes on her every step away from the League. Returning stowaway on a fishing boat, she sat mind glazed, incapable of rationalizing what just happened. She somehow made her way back to the kind village, and to her seat in the bar. She had shattered her sword in a symbolic way of cutting her roots to Noxus, but now Riven could only think that it was a foolish decision. At least then it was worth something. Now, it couldn't even function as a paperweight.

Today had her sitting in a corner of the bar, nursing a drink. She had placed her sword beside her as a warning to anyone that may try to talk to her. Why she kept it, Riven didn't know. She just couldn't bring herself to throw the sword away, it being strong reminder of her past. Perhaps it was a penance, as a constant weight upon her, but more likely it was a useless sword, with a sharp jagged edge. Well into her third drink of the day, she could barely bring herself to look up as the door creaked open. Only when did she hear the telltale rustle of a blade within a scabbard, did she gaze upon the stranger. There, in the sunlight, stood a tall and elegant man, with hair tied together by a small amount of string and eyes looking far beyond the room. Lost within her phantasms, Riven could only hint at the smallest motes of recognition.

Far away, in a palace that would put many of Shuriman palaces to shame, sat a woman deep within meditation. She did not react to the sounds of men training outside her palace, nor did she react when the door opened and small hurried footsteps headed towards her. Her face remained emotionless, until a few furtive words were whispered into her ears. A smile. Empress Karma, the undisputed leader of Ionia, replied only with "Keep the messengers on alert. Their purpose will be revealed soon."


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Chapter 2 of Final Wind…it's been 3 months…what's with my writing wow. Sorry for the long wait I guess, been stupidly crazy.

Riven:

The wanderer walked slowly, with the ease of a practiced warrior. The only reason why recognized it was because she also had the same gait. Slow and practiced, he walked over to an empty seat and set down his sword. Riven's drink lay untouched, her only movements the steady rise and fall of her chest and her eyes as she tracked the man. Senses stretched to the maximum, she almost flinched when the long sword clanked against the table. Even when the wanderer finally sat down, Riven still tracked him mercilessly with her eyes, not allowing the smallest movement to escape her notice. Whether the man noticed her intensity or not, he gave no indication of it. The only time she looked away was when he looked up to order his drink, and ran his eyes around the bar. She could feel the man's gaze as it reached her, and focused completely on her drink as it focused on the sword that leaned beside here. The waitress was completely nonplussed, unaware of the byplay between them. After finishing his order, the waitress rushed away, unsure of why the man had suddenly lost interest in her. Still focusing on her drink, Riven missed when the wanderer had finally moved his gaze from her and returned to staring at the wall. When she finally looked up, he was idly tapping his fingers on his blade. Unable to look at him any further, Riven decided on finishing her cup.

The morning passed quickly. Some time in the middle of the day Riven got up the courage to stand up and leave. She had a small job as a farmer, tending to the fields with a beaten plow. Perhaps her Noxian training was good for something, but it's little benefit was definitely not worth the pain. Even standing in the field made Riven feel queasy, wondering if enemy soldiers had fought and died on a field similar to this, and whether another family was ripped apart. The owner of the land gave her past no heed, however he would always give her a knowing look when talking about international affairs. Perhaps in time peace and even good will could be established between Noxus and Ionia, however for the time being it was hostilities and anger. Her time as a farmer was short, for the field was not quite several acres large and Riven often wondered how the owner profited from it. Soon enough, she found herself at the gates of the town, and felt her drawn to the markets. What little pay she got often went to drinking and housing, however every so often she could afford some amenities. Children's laughter and the soft murmur of a crowd eventually drew her curiosity, and she slowly made her way over. There was a small crowd surrounding something, and she moved closer to find out. Eventually she managed to edge her way into a good spot to see the action, and was surprised to see it was the man from the bar earlier that morning. He was sitting, with no signs of his earlier drink visible. His sword was on the ground next to him, and he held a flute in his hands. Riven stared in anticipation, and felt her guard rise as she felt foreign magic in the air as he began to play. A wanderer's song, it's melody picked up as the wind began to whisper around the crowd. In the air, ribbons and other litter began to float and coalesce into an odd medley of colour, becoming more and more frenzied as the song picked up. Soon, the song ended and the trash dispersed into odd corners and bins, and much of the crowd moved off, impressed but holding no true interest. Riven stood entranced, and stared as a small pile of coins were slowly amassing at the man's feet. Riven didn't notice when the man got up, however she was quickly snapped out of her stupor when the man said to asked "Liked it?"

Quickly coming back to her senses, Riven quickly stammered out "Y-yes. It was quite beautiful, although I don't get why the wind did that"

The man laughed softly, and only said "Every wanderer has secrets. Some, a little longer than others"

His eyes eventually made their way to her blade, and she shifted awkwardly as he observed its runes. She wondered briefly if she had met the man before, but shoved the thought away as he asked

"Why'd you break that sword? I can tell it was once beautiful"

Riven began to open her mouth to answer that it was personal, but was interrupted as both of them heard the quick and constant footfalls of an Ionian military troop. They walked into the town, and stopped before Riven and the stranger. She was taken back, but the man quickly picked the coins and his sword up, and placed his hand on the handle. Upon arriving at the square, members of the troop spread out to block all exits while the captain and 2 other men approached the duo. The captain, a burly man seemingly in his middle age turned towards them and began to shout

"Yasuo! You are under arrest for the murder of Elder Ronan, the killing of several Ionian soldiers and conspiring with Noxus! Submit yourself to arrest peacefully and you'll be given a fair trial by the Elder's court!" The captain face reddened during the speech, and as he finished he looked towards Riven and said "Miss, we will have to take you in for questioning about this man and his origins. Please do not resist"

Riven swiftly turned her head at the now named Yasuo, and tilted her had questioning whether he did it or not. The man clenched his jaw, and began to draw his sword. She looked at him panicked, and twitched as she drew thoughts of killing again. The 3 men began to move towards the as the wind started to pick up. Riven took a step back as the 3 men grew even closer. Around the square, panicked onlookers and soldiers alike watched as incarceration came ever so closer. Just as they were about to reach them, shouts of nearby soldiers grew their attention. As the captain turned back to scream at the men, 3 blades quickly pierced through the trio's necks.

As the men were silenced, Riven stood entranced, mesmerized by the death in front of her. Blood splattered, and she stood frozen as the blades retracted and moved back towards some invisible owner. Behind the trio, was a literal massacre as the bodies of almost the entire battalion littered the ground. Around them, hovered several blades. Finally noticing the precarious situation she was in, Riven bodily threw herself at the man, Yasuo(?), and knocked him down. Her muscle mass had withered in the fields, however she still packed enough strength to take the wiry man tumbling. She winced as they both impacted the ground, looked around wildly for any attackers. Those blades… As a commander of the Crimson Elite Riven was allowed access to much information, and included were questioning comrades about their abilities. She cared little for her fellow front-liners, however the art of an assassin always interested her. She had taken one man aside, a high-aspiring assassin with an impressive kill list, and asked him about his methods of assassination. What he said made her sick, and had never forgotten his name. Talon, the Blade in the Shadows, was perhaps the very epitome of a Noxian assassin. Fast, stealthy, and always ready to get his hands dirty. Her time away from the Crimson Elite may have caused her to lose her physique, however she will never forget those blades. She had never seen him on the battlefield-for assassins always attacked the backs of the enemies, however had heard many tales of his assassinations and even watched once as he killed a commander right before her eyes, just as she was signaling a charge. He was effective, deadly, and most dangerous of all, in Ionia. Riven couldn't fathom a reason for why he would appear in Ionia, let alone in a small village, but she could only think of one reason. Her. Noxus has decided to cut their loose ends, and she could guarantee around the country and world, similar situations were happening to other Noxian deserters. Apparently Talon had decided trying to kill her was too bothersome now that she was alerted, but had left a pile of bodies behind. Around her, children began to scream as they realized the soldiers were slaughtered. She looked fearfully, and cast a glance at the man below her. He was wide-eyed, and could clearly see in his eyes that he was confused to what just happened.

She stood, and dragged him up with her. She began to run towards the village gates, pulling the man along, and whispered "Come with me. I'll explain."

Apparently the promise of an explanation was good for the man, so they began to run side-by-side, before he began to overtake her. When they reached a small clearing in the woods, she eventually slowed and caught her breath. Beside her, the man panted as well. Shortly, she stood straight and looked square at the man. "Why were those soldiers after you. Aren't you just a wanderer?"

Hearing this, the man froze and stood straight. In short, crisp tones he said, "I am a wanderer. Just the past often catches up to me. Now, what on Valoran killed those soldiers?"

Riven took a deep breath and replied, "He's a famous assassin. I'm sure you've heard of him in your travels. Talon. Blade in the Shadows. Ring any bells?"

Hearing the title, Yasuo stiffened further, and furtively cast his eyes around; suddenly paranoid that he was about to feel a blade in his back. He placed a hand on his scabbard, and asked "And you know this how?'

She had no possible answer for this. Mulling over this silently, Riven finally said, "That wasn't the first time I've met him. He's killed many in front of me."

Appeased, Yasuo let his hand dangle gently by his side. His body loosened, and he cracked his neck. Finally, he said "I guess I'll go now. Thank you, for keeping the assassin away."

Towards the side of the clearing, a man's voice sounded "I don't think you're going anywhere."


End file.
